CT Golf Tips - Your Online Golf Resource

Connecticut native World Class Golf Pro Mike Colandro has championships including the Air New Zealand Shell Open in 1987, the West Australian PGA, 2 Connecticut and Maine Open Victories, and a playoff win in the Victorian Open on the Canadian Tour. Mike brings his expertise and experience to CTGolfTips to help you improve your game, keep up on the latest info on Golf, Courses, and Equipment.

CTGolfTips.com is now presenting Video Golf Lessons. In May, we will show past tips that I have produced and are only 2-4 minutes long. Starting June 3^rd, we will air all new tips 18 straight weeks through September 30^th, filmed at selected area golf courses. Special sponsorship packages are on offer for these unique Video Golf Lessons. Contact us at VideoGolfLessons@CTGolfTips.com

On May 2, 2006, we were at Hawks Landing Golf Club in Southington, Connecticut, on a cool, damp day. ZMK Enterprises was our sponsor and owner, Mike Orth, joined me and guests, Steve Ellison, and our player photographer, Mark Landers. The course was a little dry; however, the greens were in great shape. We played a skin game and Steve started the day with a chip in birdie on the first hole. After a few holes, it turned very cold and hard to swing but we kept on playing.

The new 18 hole layout at Hawks Landing is very challenging off the tee with some super par 3’s. It’s a short course but easy to walk and for early in the season, in great shape. Our skin game was a tie and Steve and Mike Orth won, winning a DVD and Flash Golf Shirts. Titleist provided all 3 golfers 3 Pro VIX’s to play with, and as usual, the food at the nineteenth hole was very good. The new driving range is open and Head Pro, John Vitale, offers private and group lessons. If you are ever out in the Southington area, give Hawks Landing a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

ZMK Enterprises and owner, Mike Orth, are offering a unique FREE scoreboard to any golf course, along with a unique marketing program. The scoreboards are permanent fixtures and look completely professional. Contact Mike at (860) 752-9014 – Mike1zmk@comcast.net or click onto ZMK’s Banner below

In 1987, I had been a Pro for 11 years and competed full-time for 8 years with only a dozen or so 2 and 3 round victories. When returning to the Australasian PGA Tour in October, I was in very good form after a 2^nd place in the Aussy PGA and top ten finish in the Aussy Open.

The next event was the “Air New Zealand Shell Open.” It was played in Auckland on the hilly Titaurangi Golf Club with its Maori name meaning “A fringe of heaven.”

The week started off with me getting food poising and was lucky to even have the energy to play. I didn’t hit a practice ball all week and only had my first solid meal Friday evening after rounds of 70-65.

I felt a little more energized going into the week end, I hit a few chip shots and putted before I teed off on Saturday and Sunday. After a 68 on Saturday, I was only 3 shots behind Masters Champion, Sandy Lyle, and playing in the next to last group on Sunday.

It was a blustery day with spits of rain throughout, much like a spring day in New England. The leaders were not advancing forward, and I made a few early birdies to be at 9 under, only 1 shot back. After a couple of difficult par putts, I birdied the short par 4 fifteenth and found myself in the lead. Watching the scoreboards all the time, I was tied with Lyle and Rodger Davis at 10 under.

Walking up the sixteenth, I saw another scoreboard and found myself in the lead by myself. Making a clutch par putt on the sixteenth, I then parred seventeen and needed a par on eighteen to have a 1 shot lead in the clubhouse. Holing a 7 foot par putt on the eighteenth, I then had to sweat out Davis and Lyle in the last group.

They could not make birdie on the last, and I was the winner of my 1^st four-round event with a world class field. What a week, and it was all captured on TV. One New Zealand that I watch from time to time. To win at any level is always a great feeling, but to beat the Masters Champion and a world class field is a phenomenal feeling!

This week’s tip is about new golf equipment and how technology has made a big difference. To start, the golf ball is now a big market and there are many options. Titleist still is the big ball on the market and their Pro VIX is a great ball and very popular on tour. I started using the Pro VIX, and although it is a little harder than the Pro VI, it goes a little bit farther and is more durable. Other good balls are Precept, Strata and Top Flite, Nike, Callaway and the new Dunlop-Maxfli balls.

In the club department, irons are much more forgiving and there are a variety of options. One big thing is finding the optimum iron that works for each individual golfer. Custom clubs are a big selling point and great way to find a club that will benefit your game. Most companies have a fitting system that you can utilize, and there are many club makers who can make you a custom fit set for great value. Getting the right shaft is most important, along with having the correct grip size to suit each individual player.

Woods are also a big aspect of buying the right club. Utilizing a launch monitor can show just what shaft and club head will be right for you. The hottest drivers on tour are the 904R Titleist, Ping G5, Callaway Fusion, Nike Sasquash, and Taylor Made R-7. Again, the shaft is the engine of the club and one needs to experiment with different shafts that will suit your swing. Whatever you do, always try to hit a club before you buy it, and there are always demo days that allow you to try different clubs.

There are many other tips and lessons that we will go through each week. I hope these tips will help and visit CTGolfTips.com next week for more Golf, and check our Archives for past Golf Articles

Please check out these great Golf Courses and Businesses who support CTGolfTips.com

Click on the banner for more info, and enter the Weekly Golf Trivia contest to win great prizes!

Enter The Weekly Trivia Contest

Congratulation to last week's Trivia winner - David Genovali of Old Saybrook

This Weeks Prize:

Winner receives a golf lesson with Mike Colandro and Golf DVD and Booklet

This Week's Question:

What player on the Champions Tour won the first three events this year (2006), and what is his nickname?

Answer

Please send us your information:

Name

Address

City

State

Zip Code

Phone

E-mail

Prizes will be mailed weekly to the winner with the correct answer chosen at random

Have A Golf Question? Click Here To Ask the Golf Pro

PLEASE CLICK ON THE BANNERS BELOW TO VISIT OUR SPONSORS:

Cromwell

Manchester

IN THE ZONE TECHNOLOGIES

Newington

Hartford

Portland

Ladies Professional Golf Association

Hartford

Farmington

Avon

Cromwell